I always recommend my friends and clients to install and activate the Jetpack plugin on their wordpress websites, I think most of you’ve already used it as well.

While it’s really a hassle connecting to a wordpress.com account in order to use the Jetpack modules, especially for developers who are doing experiments with local testing.

Thanks to the development mode, first introduced in Jetpack 2.2.1 to help developers with local testing, you are now able to use features that do not require a connection to WordPress.com servers. Turn on the development mode is easier than you think,  just add a line to your wp-config.php file.

define( 'JETPACK_DEV_DEBUG', true);

Or you can employ a plugin to help you on this.

Unplug Jetpack is convenient, because it allows you to turn development mode on/off using a plugin. It uses the Jetpack-supported method for doing this and consists of just a couple lines of code:

function uj_init() {
    add_filter( 'jetpack_development_mode', '__return_true' );
}
add_action( 'plugins_loaded', 'uj_init' );

On the other hand, you cannot use all the Jetpack modules without connecting to wordpress.com. Stats, Related Posts, etc does require a connection.

Here is a list of modules that require a connection to wordpress.com:

  • Spelling and Grammar
  • Jetpack Comments
  • Enhanced Distribution
  • JSON API
  • Likes
  • Monitor
  • Notifications
  • Photon
  • Post by Email
  • Publicize
  • Related Posts
  • WP.me Shortlinks
  • Jetpack Single Sign On
  • WordPress.com Stats
  • Subscriptions
  • VaultPress
  • VideoPress